Description
A creamy, cheesy pasta dish cooked effortlessly in a slow cooker that combines ground beef, cream cheese, and marinara sauce for an indulgent family meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 (24 oz) jars marinara sauce, divided
- 1 (24 oz) jar filled with water
- 1 (16 oz) box bowtie pasta (uncooked)
- 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet, place the ground beef and season it with salt and pepper. Crumble and cook over medium heat until fully browned; approximately 5-7 minutes. Drain excess grease and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Mix until smooth and well blended. Set aside.
- Pour half of one jar of marinara sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker, spreading it evenly.
- Sprinkle half of the uncooked bowtie pasta evenly over the sauce.
- Pour the remaining half jar of marinara sauce over the pasta. Fill the empty sauce jar with water and drizzle half over the pasta and sauce.
- Sprinkle half of the cooked ground beef evenly over the layers. Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly over the beef.
- Top with the remaining bowtie pasta, followed by the second jar of marinara sauce.
- Gently pour the remaining half jar of water over the top. Distribute any remaining ground beef on top.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Check if the pasta is tender; if not, continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.
- Once cooked, sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the top. Cover and cook on low for about 20 minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Serve warm, ensuring each portion includes all layers.
Notes
For a cheesier version, add more mozzarella or mix in some provolone or Parmesan. This dish freezes beautifully for easy meal prep later.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 170 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 565
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 38g
- Cholesterol: 90mg